This invention relates to portable containers for valuable items. Examples of such containers are currency note containers (hereinafter referred to as currency cassettes) of the kind used with cash dispensing machines and depository containers into which valuable items such as envelopes containing money may be deposited.
This invention has application to an automated teller machine (ATM) of the kind which is arranged to dispense currency notes, or accept a deposit of money, as may be required by a customer. As is well known, in operation of an ATM of this kind, a user inserts a customer identifying card into the machine and then enters certain data (such as a personal identification number, type of transaction, and quantity of money required or to be paid in) on one or more keyboards included in a user console of the machine. The machine will then process the transaction, dispense currency notes or accept a money deposit as may be requested, and return the card to the user as part of a routine operation. If currency notes are to be dispensed, these are picked from one or more currency cassettes included in the ATM and transported to a note exit slot in the user console. If money is to be deposited, the user typically inserts an envelope containing the money (cash and/or checks) through a deposit entry slot in the user console of an ATM, and the envelope is transported to, and deposited in, a depository container included in the ATM.
It may be desirable for a portable container for valuable items to incorporate tamper indicating means for indicating whether any unauthorized opening of the container has taken place. Thus, in the case of the currency cassette, it is important from a security point of view to be able to detect whether the cassette has been opened during the period between the cassette being loaded with currency notes and the cassette being inserted into an ATM. Also, in the case of a container represented by a depository container or by a currency cassette having some currency notes remaining therein, it is important from a security point of view to be able to detect whether the container has been opened during the period between the container being removed from an ATM and the container being officially opened at a bank or other secure establishment for removal of the contents of the container.
From U.K. Patent No. 2134973 there is known a portable depository container adapted to be inserted into an ATM, and including locking means arranged to permit the deposit of valuable articles in the container when in an unlocked condition, the locking means being arranged to be unlocked when the container is inserted in the ATM. The container includes mechanical tamper indicating means incorporating a resettable indicator means for indicating the number of times the locking means has been unlocked after the resetting of the indicator means.
From U.K. Patent Application No. 2135659A there is known a currency cassette including an electronic tamper indicating means, the cassette including an EPROM in which is stored data representing the individual characteristics, e.g. opacity, of all the notes contained in the cassette. The appropriate characteristics of notes dispensed from the cassette are read as the notes are dispensed, and are compared with the corresponding stored data. If the cassette has been tampered with and notes removed prior to the cassette being inserted in an ATM, then the characteristics read while notes are dispensed from the cassette will be "out of step" with the stored characteristics for the corresponding note positions, thereby indicating that tampering has taken place. This known cassette has the disadvantage that it is necessary to generate and store signals representing the characteristics of notes prior to loading the notes into the cassette.